


Sunshine

by RAAMIsABeast



Series: Community Writer Stories (Monsthetic) [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Blood Drinking, Non-Graphic Violence, Vampire Hunters, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-07-06 07:59:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RAAMIsABeast/pseuds/RAAMIsABeast
Summary: "That's your name? Pfft. How ironic."Lord Barnal chortled, foot pressed on the heaving chest below him. Crimson orbs glared up at him, still full of fight even with a spear through the shoulder and a raised stake above the heart."It won't be your name for much longer.""I would rethink your place, if I were you."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for an Amino called Monsthetic. 
> 
> One part per week.

It was a beautiful day. Up above, the sun shone down with its everlasting and indiscriminate warmth and light, chasing away the creatures of the night to make way for the day creatures. A gentle breeze caressed the dirt path two men travelled down, swaying to and fro with the gait of their steads.

The older of the two men, in the prime of his life and aged well for a traveller, gave off a more at home aura, more in time with his mare and her sure steps. Greying hair at his temples and peppering a blade-trimmed beard were physical badges of his maturity. In his youth, he would surely have been blessed with a rich muddy brown, though now he wore a darkened version.

To his left, rocking slightly out of time with the gelding he rode, the younger man looked to be more of a gangly teenager at first glance; this was especially true when paired with his senior at his side. Atop his head, dirty blonde hair dribbled down just past the ear and tickled the sides of his neck. He was just old enough to have a feather light dusting of fluff on his upper lip and branching out from his sideburns.

Having watched the boy struggle to settle into the rhythm of his ride, the man sighed and broke the silence.

"You are too tense, boy. To adapt to the gait of your gelding, you need to relax. Become flexible and trust in the saddle to keep you upright."

Gruff, the man spared no sympathy for a farmboy who couldn't even ride a horse. There had been two horses at his farm, one a thickset draft to pull the plow and the other a dainty horse bred for hunting.

"Sorry, Lord Barnal. This gelding isn't like Racer."

"That is no excuse, boy."

Lord Barnal grunted, rethinking his decision to take on an apprentice who's only experience in travelling was two hunting parties for rabbits.

"That gelding is your stead and the sooner you relax upon his back, the sooner you both will start to understand each other. He wants to listen, you want to guide him. Do not give him mixed messages."

The boy balked and very nearly halted the horse, but thought better of it. Lord Barnal was right, but to insinuate that a horse could understand the boy and thus be on the same intelligence was preposterous.

"How can a horse understand me?"

"Trust. Training. They are smarter than you think. Sitting tense on your ride suggests to him that you do not trust him. In turn, he will not trust you. Now, quiet. We are nearing the town our prey was last seen at."

Falling silent, the boy glanced at the Lord and his beautiful dapple grey mare, and couldn't help but wonder why he was leaving his home to chase down this one. Surely, this one isn't any different than the others he had hunted in the past?

There would be another one to come along in his area, so why chase a runner?

The boy almost asked, but then they were being met by an ashen faced man, appearing from the town outskirts.

"Are you Lord Barnal, the Vampire Hunter chasing the runner?"


	2. Chapter 2

The town was as unimpressive once they had entered it as it had looked from the outskirts. Drab walls rose up like thick, rectangle gargoyles. Not the most sightly of things.

Lord Barnal had dismounted his mare when the man had met them outside the town's limits, and now the boy slipped down the flank of his horse. With both feet on the ground, he accepted the reins of the mare and led the two horses in line with Lord Barnal.

Townspeople, shrivelled from fear and dirty from their abodes, stuck out heads and sunken eyes shrewdly, hovering on the boundaries of cobblestone and house. The boy shivered as he met the glazed over eyes of a little lady, dead and cold with no flicker of any life within them, looking right through him.

His mouth bobbed between calling out for the Lord, like a cowardly child, and staying silent to keep the masculine dignity brewing inside him. A deciding factor was the fact that Lord Barnal didn't seem fazed by the solemn atmosphere. Or maybe he was too used to the aftershocks of vampires to care.

"Boy, stay here. I don't want you making a mess."

"But-"

"Not this one. I'm told it is particularly nasty. Maybe this one fought back."

For one moment, the boy almost protested, but then he remembered one of the stories his grandfather used to tell, about how vampires could wreck more havoc up on the human body than a ravenous wolf on an ill deer. Nodding, glad to not see if the story was true just yet, the boy patted the gelding and didn't trail after Lord Barnal.

When he returned, it was with a grave etch of determination on his face, marring whatever mature handsomeness women vouched for and left storms in its wake.

"What was it?..."

The boy inquired softly as he wedged a foot into a stirrup to swing up onto the gelding and ride alongside the Lord. Lord Barnal merely shook his head with a meaningful glance at the folk around them.

"We will leave and destroy the beast to take such lives from you all!"

He called out, valiant, one man with a big burden. In response, the town erupted in hopeful cheers, some people calling for a tooth or a claw to warn other unholy creations from making a stop here.

Lord Barnal had his mare set a fast trot, heading in the same direction they had been traveling in. All they could do was follow the trail and slowly encroach upon the vampire, stalking it wherever it went.

As they rode on, the sky transformed from bright blue to oranges and yellows and purples and reds and pinks and a multitude of other shades inbetween as night started its assault against day.

Glancing at the Lord, the boy squirmed in his seat a little, though he didn't speak. Pushing for an answer from the older man would gain a reprimand.

Eventually, Lord Barnal spoke.

"It killed a family. A woman, two children and a man. It only fed from the man. There was no need to kill the others."

"Why do you think it did it, then?"

Lord Barnal laughed, head thrown back and for a second he looked positively mad.

"Who knows? Maybe it has unnatural urges to go with its unholy alliance."


	3. Chapter 3

"We will reach the next town in three days. When we do, there should be a connection to tell us of where the vampire struck most recently."

The Lord stroked his mare with his hand, combing her mane a little. For some reason, being one step behind his quarry didn't irk the older man.

"Sorry to question you, my Lord, but does being behind the vampire make this chase more worth it for you?"

Instead of an answer, the man gave a jerk of his head to the right before he guided the mare from the dirt path and past the thickets outlining their way. The boy followed, noticing his steed pause before he turned in the direction the lad eased the reins. Maybe the gelding didn't trust him after all...

"Here is as good a place as any to set up camp."

Lord Barnal had led them to a small clearing with an overhanging ledge, acting as a shelter should it rain. He dismounted his mare, patting her side and taking off the tack, apart from the bridle. The tethers of the bridle were used to leash the mare to a nearby tree, as a precaution. Luckily, she was still covered by the ledge. Encouraged to do the same for the gelding, the boy hummed and mimicked the Lord as he rubbed down his horse.

' _Bonding with my gelding,_ ' the boy thought, even though he had yet to know the name of said gelding. The thought had slipped his mind. Well, now was as good a time as any.

"I... never asked. What is his name?"

"Alto. His name is Alto."

"Alto."

The gelding chuffed at the repetition of his name, looking between the pair as of waiting for a command. Smiling, the boy patted the horse and told him he was a good boy.

\---

Once night had crept upon them, the two were already prepared to sleep off the day's woes. A hearty fire crackled with the remains of a stew simmering in a pot next to the flames. It would do for food in the morning, before they were saddle bound again.

"Being behind the vampire makes the kill much more exciting than if it had thrown itself at me to die."

Startled from half-awakeness, the boy glanced at the Lord laid across the fire from him. For a moment, he was confused as to where this was coming from, only to realise that his previously unanswered question had an answer now.

Lord Barnal then asked a question to the boy.

"Your name?"

"Oh, er, Hanson, my Lord."

Hanson got a nod, before the older man closed his eyes. A definate sign to go to sleep.

Settling onto his back, Hanson yawned and drifted off, dreaming of hearing wolves howl in the distance.

Only, the howls suddenly ceased and Hanson was left aware of how the wind rustled the leaves, as if something was creeping closer and closer, stalking it's unsuspecting victim...

The boy jumped awake, panting and realising that the stars were being blocked by a pallid face with red eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Hanson very nearly shrieked like a girl, frightened out of his mind with the face of a _VAMPIRE_ right there, breathing in his face! A cold hand muffled his womanly sound, squeezing enough to grate the jaw bones together but not enough to break anything.

"You'll die if you keep following your runner."

It purred, leaning even closer to sniff Hanson. He wished that the Lord would wake up and stab the being with a wooden stake. Anything to remove the vampire from basically laying across the full length of his body.

"And I'll watch you die, if he'll allow me. I'll watch as the blood drips from his teeth and claws and I'll worship him. I'll worship Gold as he shines at his best."

The boy tried to wriggle free from the vampire, who was what the generation of the present would call a fanboy, and wake up the older man.

It seemed there was no need, because the vampire shifted into a crouched position.

"I'll leave you to mull over those words. If you have half a nut in that head of yours, you'll tell the Lord that the only place to go is Himill Nul."

He purred, licked Hanson's face and then stood up proudly, glancing crimson orbs towards the Lord in wariness as he shifted in his sleep. Once the vampire was sure it was safe, the unholy beast melted into the night and the forest once more.

Unable to sleep after three hours of adrenaline-fuelled restlessness, Hanson stumbled over to the other side of the dying fire to shake his senior awake. For his troubles, the boy very nearly got a slap.

"What is it?"

Taking in the appearance of his younger apprentice, Lord Barnal decided to place on his patient head and wait for the boy to spit out the events of his night.

"Himill Nul, you say? You do know that is a common vampire anagram for Numal Hill, right?"

Numal Hill's reputation with Vampires was quite clear. Only the most mentally unstable of Vampires entered there. Not even the strongest of them all graced Numal Hill with their presence. Sensing an opportunity, the Lord grinned.

"I think we should take a visit to Numal Hill, and reduce the numbers of insane Vampires living there."

"But-"

"There is a stigma attached to the Hill for Vampires. Not so much for humans. Now get some sleep. We ride at dawn."

\---

Dawn could have taken a lot longer to appear and the sleeping men would have been none the wiser. Once the sun blasted its light at the two men, both were awake and working their way to saddling up for another day of riding.

"We will rode to the town, get supplies and information on our runner. If Numal Hill is not out of our way, we will go hunting."

Hanson could only nod, not sure of what he was meant to say. But at least they had a plan of action, in a way. He wasn't complaining about that, just the fact that they're adding another possible area to explore, rather than staying focused on the runner.

But what did he know of Vampire hunting?


	5. Chapter 5

The town was a day away, and Hanson already wanted to turn back time. He no longer wanted to taste adventure and earn glory. All he wanted to do was return to his mother's arms and fall asleep next to the dog. If it wasn't for the hefty wages he would be getting and how much his family needed it, Hanson would have stole away in the night like a common thief.

As it was, the Lord seemed more invigorated now, cleaning spear ends as his mare trotted along, sharpening the tips and creating a deadly barb.

Some birds stirred in the distance, and shrieking suddenly split the calm atmosphere. The boy jumped and just managed to stay upright, glancing at Lord Barnal. He had halted his mare and was listening.

For what, Hanson didn't know. Maybe for the person to cry out again? Or maybe to see if it was worth his time.

After two more consecutive and increasing blood curdling screams, the Lord, grim face set in stone, deemed it worth his time and angled the mare to ride in that direction at a gallop.

"Wait!"

The gelding snorted but galloped after the other horse at Hanson's behest. His muscles jumped under the man's legs and he couldn't help but hope that the possibility of a kick would deter whatever was the cause of those chilling cries.

A clearing opened up ahead, peeling away the underbrush to reveal a gastly scene as it unfolded.

A woman was weakly clawing at the chest of a man feeding from her neck, surely nearly drained of blood now. A child lay nearby, unconscious but breathing and with no bite. And... further into the clearing... a man, though you couldn't tell that without seeing his relatively intact head.

The vampire lifted his face from the crook of the woman's neck, letting her limp body drop to the floor and wiping excess blood with a strip of fabric from a ruffle on her dress. Piercing crimson eyes stared at Lord Barnal with something akin to amusement.

Hanson couldn't see the man's expression, but he had a feeling it was more than the usual disgusted sneer.

"Ah, my Lord, it has been a long time since we last met, no? It has been, what, nearly two years since that night now?"

A taunt. A flick of the wrist as the vampire readjusted his disheveled hair and shirt. The Lord rumbled a growl, swinging down from his horse to angrily stomp towards the vampire, armed with nothing but the spear he had been sharpening.

"Unfortunately, beast. And now, I've caught up with you, and I will kill you. For every one you've killed."

Unaffected by the embodiment of humanity's rage at his species, the vampire raised an eyebrow and leant forward with a teasing smirk.

The light hit the vampire just right to show the burns starting to come up along his cheekbones and around his eyes. Only desperate vampires attacked during the day, lacking some perks of being a nocturnal creature.

"How do you know that I didn't let you catch up, Lord Barnal?"


	6. Chapter 6

Lord Barnal sneered at the vampire.

"You'll burn out here."

"Until tonight, Barnal. When you'll be defenceless with your sightless gaze."

He drew close, barely an inch between the human and the vampire. So close, each breathe brushed their chests together.

"And I think I'll make you watch again."

With that, the vampire laid a pallid hand on the Lord's torso before sending him flying back with a mere push.

"I think I'll have you begging again."

Hanson jumped when icy fingers cupped his chin and tilted his head to the side, crimson eyes mere centimetres away from his own. Behind the boy, Alto snorted and stamped his hooves, attracting the Vampire's gaze for just a second. But that was all the older man needed. An arrow whistled true, striking deep into the Vampire's flank and spurting out blood from the network of vessels underneath.

"Tagged you, you unholy beast."

Hissing, the Vampire shifted his hand to choke Hanson, stepping back and dragging the floundering human with him. A shield against more arrows.

"Coward!"

"Think of this as... incentive."

Before the boy could react, he was thrown over a strong shoulder and bounced up and down with each racing step.

\---

Night fell and the boy shuddered as the air whipped around him. A coat dropped over him and he startled.

"Don't want you dying before I've tasted you."

He laughed, flicking his nose as another Vampire slipped into the clearing. The one from a few nights prior.

"May I-"

"No. Keep a look out for Lord Barnal. Though the fire should be enough to attract his attention."

Hours passed. Hanson watched the Vampire check his side and wrap bandages around his entire waist. He watched the Vampire listen out. He even watched the Vampire as he disappeared up a tree to catch a bird.

"I'm here, you disgusting stain."

"My Lord-"

Hanson froze, shivering as the Lord casually dropped the dead Vampire in full view of the runner.

"He was a pain, but he was something I happened to like, human."

"No Lord?"

"Lord is a human construct. As such, I choose if I say it or not."

Flames flickered when the Vampire leaped across them, face cast in the shadows he was surely used to walking in by now.

In contrast, the Lord was in the light, shimmering like one of the heros who fought off dangerous creatures like the Vampire he was squaring off against. In a way, the boy supposed, the older man was one of those golden heros in the flesh, and with reality came weaknesses.

Weighing it up, the only way for the Lord to best the Vampire is to use his head. His weapon of choice already, no doubt.

"Come on, vermin. Or are you going to sulk in the shadows with your wounded pride?"

"Side, human. Not pride. An _unholy beast_ such as I had no need for pride where I know I am superior."

But the Vampire did move. In a flash, he had the Lord against the floor, sat on his chest with both hands clasped securely in one of the Vampire's cold ones.

"My Lord!"

"Shush, boy. Let me deal with this petulant creature."


	7. Chapter 7

In physical strength, even stamina, the Vampire would trump the human. But the Vampire seemed determined to draw the fight out, leaving claw marks on the Lord and unlatching armour and chainmail alike, but never using those claws or its teeth to their devastating fullness.

It was toying with the Lord.

As of now, the Vampire had succeeded in burning one of the Lord's hands against the fire, ignoring its own burns coming from the light and the fire. Lord Barnal's pained cry echoed to the tune of the crackling fire.

But the pain seemed to have ignited a huge dose of adrenaline in the Lord's coiled muscles, because he lashed out with a random stick upon the forest floor and the wood struck true. A hiss undertoned with the sting of the impact and the stumble the Vampire partook in suggested that the direct hit to the face was stronger than he had been expecting.

Within seconds, the human had dived into the bushes and in his wake a spear flew out, burying itself into the shoulder of the Vampire. The Vampire hissed and went to pull the spear out of his shoulder, but stopped once he realised doing so would cause a lot of damage to his arm.

"Lucky throw."

He glared at the Lord as the human returned into the clearing, holding a stake. And a long length of chain. Now, the spear tip would give the chain an anchor and put the Vampire at a disadvantage.

If, that is, the Lord could somehow overpower the sheer physical strength of the beast. Hanson closed his eyes like a coward, unable to see. Not wanting to see.

The sound of the fire's wood being scattered in a loud crash startled the human and he opened his eyes, freezing as the fire spluttered into embers and the moon peeked out to shine its light on the scene unfolding.

The glow reflected in the Vampire's eyes, creating the effect of pearls in their place. It was eerily beautiful. And Hanson didn't like it.

"Before I kill you, I deserve to know your name."

Lord Barnal growled, shoving a boot harshly into the chest of the Vampire, stake waving threateningly as he wiped some dribbling blood from his eye.

He didn't get an answer straight away, the beast catching his breath again.

"Sunshine. My name is Sunshine."

"That's your name? Pfft. How ironic."

Lord Barnal chortled, foot pressed on the heaving chest below him. Crimson orbs glared up at him, still full of fight even with a spear through the shoulder and a raised stake above the heart.

"It won't be your name for much longer."

"I would rethink your place, if I were you."

So close to killing this one, the Lord allowed himself to laugh, allowed himself to lower his guard around the Vampire.

Now that he thought back on it, that moment was a mistake, and another notch in the Vampire's plan.

Before the human could react, a foot struck him in the back as the beast twisted beneath him and threw him off. The Vampire - Sunshine - regained his footing, snapping the tip from the spear and yanking the shaft out. Keeping the shaft levelled at Lord Barnal, the Vampire untied Hanson and grasped the boy around the neck.

"Numal Hill. Whenever you get there, human."

Hanson was pretty sure he passed out from lack of air after that.


End file.
